LOCAL : Van Nuys Victim Defied Gunman

Los Angeles police today identified a man sought in a fatal Van Nuys shooting as an illegal immigrant from Mexico who fired a semiautomatic handgun at the victim several times after the victim dared him to do it.

“The victim said, ‘Shoot me,’ and he did,” Detective Don Tabak said.

The suspect, Alejandro Flores, was described as armed and dangerous and may be attempting to flee to Mexico following the 5 p.m. shooting Monday behind an apartment building in the 7560 block of Woodman Avenue, Tabak said. Flores, believed to be in his 20s, fled from the shooting in a black 1979 Pontiac with tinted windows and body damage on both sides, he said.

The victim of the slaying, Sergio Romero, 17, of Van Nuys, was hit by several bullets in the chest and died at the scene, police said.

The shooting occurred after a fight in which Romero defeated a friend of Flores while Flores watched, Tabak said. When the altercation ended, Flores allegedly pulled out a gun and pointed it at Romero. When Romero dared Flores to shoot, he did, Tabak said.